Jungle King Tar-chan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Masaya Tokuhiro is a Japanese manga artist working for various magazines within the Shueisha lines, including ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and '' Super Jump''. Born in Ōtoyo in the prefecture of Kōchi on March 1, 1959, he originally got notice from a placing en ...
. The manga was serialized in
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's anthology ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from March 1988 to June 1990. Midway through serialization, its name was changed to , and continued until April 1995. The manga was adapted into a fifty-episode
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series by
Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968 from former Mushi Pro staff. They worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and contributed to all stages of the process, including p ...
broadcast on
TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...
between October 1993 and September 1994.


Plot

The series is about Tar-chan, a young man who was raised in the African
savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
by the chimpanzee Etekichi, and his adventures protecting his home, his wife Jane, and his animal friends. As the series progresses, the simple episodic gag premise is switched to a fighting premise. Although long battles and emotional development began to unfold, after the end of these battles, the series would return to its gag style, switching back to the fighting style with each new battle. Although the story is called ''Jungle King Tar-chan'', Tar-chan and his friends actually live on a savanna, and a
jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...
setting is never actually used.


Characters

; : :Tar-chan is a young man who was raised in the African wild. His address is: African Savanna, Three Trees 7-4-10. He was abandoned in the savanna as a baby and found and raised by Etekichi. Other than this his past is unknown. Though there are often many humorous flashbacks to his past, whether or not any of them are true is unclear. Tar-chan's hobby is cooking, and his specialty dish is eggplant with mustard and misozuke. He is a dangerous drunk. He loves nature and animals and protects them from poachers. He can imitate the special abilities and speak the language of various animals, because he was raised by animals himself. With his superhuman reflexes and strength, he is a well-known fighter around the world, yet he is usually forced by his wife Jane to do the cleaning and supply the food. He does not seem interested in protecting his reputation as a grappler though; only in protecting the peace of the jungle. :When Tar-chan first met Jane he could not speak human language well. He was able to master submission holds after reading a fighting book for only one night, which demonstrates amazing mental ability. However, he still lacks general common sense. Tar-chan has super human abilities and strength and typically fights with his bare hands, but there are times when he will use weapons such as a
blowgun A blowgun (also called a blowpipe or blow tube) is a simple ranged weapon consisting of a long narrow tube for shooting light projectiles such as darts. It operates by having the projectile placed inside the pipe and using the force created by ...
and
boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
. He also has superhuman recovery, and has been known to recover quickly from injuries that take a normal man several weeks to recover from. When he takes on too much damage, he powers up by defecating, known as . His body is extremely flexible, and he can bend backwards to lick his own buttocks. Additionally, he can stretch the skin of his scrotum to glide, in a manner similar to a Japanese giant flying squirrel. :Although he is a brave man who cannot ignore those in danger, he is also an incredible pervert and treasures his many pornographic magazines left behind by tourists, which he collects. However, he said "to react to a beautiful girl is the instinct of the average man, the only one I truly love is Jane". ; : :A former playmate of Tar-chan's and now his wife, when she was 17 she traveled to Africa for a photo shoot and fell in love with Tar-chan. After marrying Tar-chan she became so comfortable with living in the wild that she eventually became fat. :Jane is the brains of the Tar-chan Family, having taught human language to Tar-chan and often taking part in the planning of fights. She can speak French, Russian, Chinese, and several other languages. She can also understand the Chimpanzee language and she communicates with Etekichi. She is capable of beating up Tar-chan and the others (as a gag), but is also shown to be strong enough to defend herself. She will do anything to make money and always bets on Tar-chan and Pedro during tournaments. She is saving money to open up a wildlife protection company. :Jane is a lacto-vegetarian. She is also seen eating candy and ''
manjū is a traditional Japanese confection. Of the many varieties of manjū, most have an outside made from flour, rice powder, kudzu, and buckwheat, and a filling of ''anko'' ( red bean paste), usually made from boiled adzuki beans and sugar. ''M ...
'', implying she is not too picky with food. At one point she is given special pills from Renhou that make her thin again, but becomes fat once again after receiving medical treatment for a near-fatal injury. Afterwards she bears Tar-chan 12 children: 6 boys and 6 girls. She reappears in the short story "Jane's Fruit Diet". ; : :Etekichi is a chimpanzee who found and raised Tar-chan as a stepson and friend. At the beginning of the series Tar-chan refers to him as "father," but after it is discovered that he left his wife Eteko, he begins calling him by his actual name. Although he is a chimpanzee he often acts more intelligently than some of the important human characters. He even occasionally speaks, but always as a gag. He enjoys masturbating and having intercourse with all types of female monkeys. In the anime, episode titles were read by Kappei Yamaguchi in Etekichi's voice. ; :Gori-san is a mountain gorilla who taught Tar-chan how to fight. He is very gentle and kind, and like Etekichi is smarter than an ordinary gorilla, although unlike Etekichi he cannot talk. ; : :Anabebe is Tar-chan's best friend. He is a member of Africa's strongest warrior clan, the Upopo Clan, and is the only person considered Tar-chan's equal. He at one time fought with Tar-chan over Jane, but gave up after seeing how fat she had become. His tribe later awarded him with the homely as a wife. Anabebe was at one time a stoic warrior, but after winning the Yunker Empire Tournament, he becomes rich and is more of a gag character. He even builds a mansion in the middle of the savanna. The mansion is heavily guarded with dobermans in the garden, and Anabebe says they are to keep lions and cheetahs from entering. After winning the tournament, he began to show signs of cowardice, running from strong opponents. Although his abilities are quite good, he usually loses. The Upopo law forbids him from using weapons or cowardly techniques. :Although his tribal law states he must take his own life if defeated, he never does. Eventually he goes bankrupt and returns to his poor warrior ways. ; : :Pedro Kazmaier is a French Karate Champion and Tar-chan's first apprentice. He is 188 cm tall and weighs 109 kg. His hobby is studying Karate, and his specialty attack is the Spinning Back Kick. He deeply respects Tar-chan from the bottom of his heart and is impressed with his every action. His catchphrase is ;. Initially he wishes to defeat Tar-chan in order to become famous, but he comes to respect his inhuman power and forcibly becomes his disciple. He was abandoned by a child at an orphanage and later adopted by a rich family who often sends him books and cognac. He is very serious and stubborn but a late bloomer when it comes to love. :In addition to Karate, he also knows
Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
, and various other arts. His skill as a fighter is rather high, but according to Tar-chan he cannot handle people outside his
weight class Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
, and in fact usually loses against such opponents. He tends to hide behind the strength of Tar-chan and Ryō-shihan, but his true strength and capability is displayed in the fight against the Seikaken 4. In the vampire story arc, he briefly becomes a vampire but retains the increase in power after becoming human again. ; : :Master Ryō is a 28-year-old master of , one of the . He has a moustache and scars on his face, abdomen, and buttocks. His hobby is
Mahjong Mahjong or mah-jongg (English pronunciation: ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-play ...
. :Master Ryō is in love with the head, Renhou, and enters the Chinese tournament because the law of the 32 Western Schools forbids them from getting married unless he proves Hakkaken is the most powerful style. After the tournament he joins Tar-chan's family in order to marry her, saying now they are from different schools. Of the main characters he is the most serious and a bit rude, but after his friendship with the Family deepens he comes a kinder character. He also has the same level of perverseness as Tar-chan. Like Pedro, he briefly becomes a vampire in the vampire story arc, and retains the power up after returning to human form. He later marries Renhou and often returns to China to visit her. After their son is born he begins to show a doting parental side to his personality. He has several ki based attacks, such as the Hyappo Shinken and the Ryuuenken. His skills as a fighter are top class, and he is one of few people capable of teaming up with Tar-chan in battle. ; : :Helen Noguchi is a 16-year-old girl who is saved by Tar-chan from a crocodile. She is half Japanese and half American. Initially she is a rather bold character who is searching for summer experience and plans to let Tar-chan take her virginity, but she later becomes friends with both him and Jane and teaches them how to manage a rice field. She was Tar-chan's biggest fan, but switched to Pedro after first seeing him. She stops appearing soon after ''New Jungle King Tar-chan'' began, but suddenly reappears for the final story as a full grown woman. In the anime her love interest is Pedro, but in the manga she marries Chikō. ; :After Ryō-shihan returns to China, Chikō is sent to protect the Tar-chan Family in his place. He is a pervert but also a master healer. He is also good at Chinese cooking. His abnormal personality and love of cleanliness clashes with Jane.


Media


Manga

''Jungle King Tar-chan'' is written and illustrated by
Masaya Tokuhiro is a Japanese manga artist working for various magazines within the Shueisha lines, including ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and '' Super Jump''. Born in Ōtoyo in the prefecture of Kōchi on March 1, 1959, he originally got notice from a placing en ...
. The manga was serialized in
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from March 21, 1988 to June 11, 1990. Midway through its serialization, the name of the series was changed to ''New Jungle King Tar-chan'', and was serialize from June 18, 1990 to April 17, 1995. Shueisha collected the ''Jungle King Tar-chan'' chapters in ten ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes, released from October 7, 1988 to January 10, 1991. Shueisha collected the ''New Jungle King Tar-chan'' chapter in twenty ''tankōbon'' volumes, released from February 8, 1991 to July 4, 1995. Shueisha republished the series in a '' bunkoban'' edition. ''Jungle King Tar-chan'' was released in three volumes published between October 16 and November 18, 2009, and ''New Jungle King Tar-chan'' in twelve volumes published between December 15, 2009 and October 15, 2010.


Anime

A fifty-episode
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation produced by
Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968 from former Mushi Pro staff. They worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and contributed to all stages of the process, including p ...
was broadcast on
TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...
from October 14, 1993 to September 29, 1994. In December 2014, it was announced that the series would be released on two DVD box sets by TC Entertainment. The first volume was released on March 27, 2015, and the second volume on April 24. TC Entertainment later re-released the series into two BD Discs between October 27 and November 24, 2017. The two opening songs and "mama I Love You" are performed by B∀G. The first ending "Virgin Land" is performed by
Ann Lewis Ann C. Frank Lewis (born December 19, 1937) is a leading American Democratic Party strategist and communicator. Lewis served as White House Communications Director in the Clinton administration and in senior roles under Hillary Clinton. She is ...
, the second ending "Misty Heartbreak" is performed by
access Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO se ...
and the third ending "Jingle Jungle Dance" is performed by Ann Lewis.


Episode list


Video games

''Jungle King Tar-chan'' for
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
, developed by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
, was released on July 29, 1994. ''Jungle no Ōja Tar-chan: Sekai Manyū Dai Kakutō no Maki'' for
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
, developed by Bandai, was released on September 18, 1994. In addition, the series has been represented in two separate crossover video games for the magazine it is published in: the RPG
Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
game '' Famicom Jump II: The Strongest Seven'' and the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
fighting game ''
Jump Ultimate Stars Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
''.


References


External links

* {{Group TAC 1988 manga 1990 manga 1993 anime television series debuts Action anime and manga Comedy anime and manga Group TAC Shōnen manga Shueisha manga Shueisha franchises TV Tokyo original programming Works based on Tarzan Tarzan parodies